How to Avoid Getting a Disease from Your Dog

At 49, I still have to hear someone oppose the oft-repeated line that "dogs are man's best friend." I probably will never get that chance ever, especially when I think about all the good things I've heard or read about having a pet dog at home. Of course, I know I'm not alone here. Many people recognize the fact that caring for an animal - especially a dog - provides some health benefits to its owner. Some studies concluded that dogs improve the health of their owners because of two things their owners get from having them around: companionship and exercise.

But there is a third "something" that dog owners may get from their well-loved pets, although this has nothing to do with bettering their health; on the contrary, it is something they should guard against from contact with their ever-loyal guards - disease. As a matter of fact, dogs can cause a number of human diseases.

Brucellosis, or undulant fever, is a disease caused by a particular germ - brucella - which occurs in the blood and in certain organs, most especially the spleen. This disease, which may be acquired through contact with an infected dog, has the following initial symptoms: loss of appetite, weakness, headache, night sweats, constipation, and fever that increases irregularly. In many cases, there is a mild bronchitis accompanied by coughing. Waves of fever occur and the sufferer gradually becomes weak and anemic, with his joints often painful and swollen. This disease may last for about four months, although in some cases it can continue for years. While brucellosis is not considered a serious disease as it seldom ends in one's death, it can physically impair the sufferer for a very long time.

Leptospirosis, or spirochetal jaundice, is another disease a person may get from contact with an infected dog. This disease is caused by Leptospira interrogans (icterohaemorrhagiae), a member of a family of parasites. In the early stages of the disease, these parasites are present in the patient's blood or in his liver. In the course of the disease, the parasites may be found in the patient's urine. Contact of broken skin with an infected dog is the usual way through which this disease may be acquired. The incubation period takes place in seven to twelve days. Early symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, and chills; these are followed by muscle and abdominal pains, severely aching limbs, rising fever, and thirst. Cases of leptospirosis may differ widely in their symptoms; often, the disease may easily be mistaken for another one.

Trypanosomiasis, or Chagas' disease, is caused by the blood-dwelling organism Trypanosoma cruzi, which enters the body through contact of scratches or wounds with an infected dog. The disease is usually more severe in children than in adults. A common feature of this disease is high fever that lasts for some time. In almost all cases, there are edema of one side of the face and inflammation of the corresponding eye. Swelling of local lymph nodes and enlarged liver are two of the early signs of this disease. Acute symptoms include rapid pulse, enlargement and irregular beating of the heart, and convulsions. While these acute symptoms do not last very long, they often end fatally for young children. In adults, heart damage is the most prominent feature of trypanosomiasis.

We hear a lot about rabies (caused by a virus belonging to the rhabdovirus group), ringworm (caused by several species of pathogenic dermatophytes), and salmonellosis (caused by the bacteria salmonella) being caused by bites of or contact with infected dogs. It is important to see your doctor at once at the first signs of any of these diseases. [Read the Original Article]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dog_diseases